Ready to Beat the Shine? Meet the Best Foundations for Oily Skin

When it comes to beauty, there’s nothing quite as soul-destroying as walking into the bathroom at lunchtime and finding your foundation sliding around your face. Especially when you start to calculate the number of hours you’ve been strolling around the office in this state of disarray. Why spend so much time blending in your foundation if it’s going to abandon you at midday? When you have oily skin, this is an everyday reality—it doesn’t even need to be over 24°C for your makeup to enter meltdown mode.

There are a few things that can help you out. A primer can really have an impact on longevity, as well as carrying around enough blotting papers to mop you up during the day and a steady supply of setting powder. But that really is a lot of effort when, in reality, just getting a good foundation in the first place can make all the difference.

But you don’t just need a good foundation: You need a holy-grail, life-changing foundation that obliterates oil on sight. It sounds like the stuff of dreams, as finding the best foundation for oily skin can sometimes feel like an ongoing struggle. There are only so many times you can take home a foundation that promises an oil-free complexion for 15 hours to find that it can barely make it through two.

There are some enticing formulas out there promising endless dewiness, so it can be hard to move towards the oil-free super-matte ones, but there are so many treats in store for your skin type. We've already rounded up the most incredible drugstore formulas, but as summer (the bane of oily skin’s existence) is well on its way, we’ve done some legwork and compiled your go-to guide of the best foundations for oily skin, from high street to high end.

This foundation is akin to the joy of getting back into your hotel room after walking around a new city all day. Its long-lasting, skin-like formula will make you question how your face ever survived without it. It also comes in 40 shades, so you're guaranteed a match.

Those clever folks at Urban Decay are onto a winner here, with a stay-put formula that doesn't even require you to check up on it during the day. If you're looking for full coverage that doesn't cake or crack, this is for you.

Who would have thought that a sellout foundation could be purchased for the price of two lattes? If you manage to get hold of one of the 21 shades, you'll get a flawless finish that's still breathable, all courtesy of the suspended pigments that provide natural coverage.

This heavyweight is not only one of the best foundations for oily skin; it's one of the best foundations period. It's not easy getting a stay-all-day finish that also has a glow to it, but Power Fabric adds dew without compromising on longevity.

This liquid to powder formula isn't all talk, as it can back up its claims with the inclusion of oil-absorbing kaolinite mineral clay for ultimate shine elimination. Even though it dries down into a velvety powder, it'll still keep some moisture in the skin.

You can dip your face in a bowl of water and this foundation isn't going to shift. Even better, you can pick it up on your next drugstore haul and walk out of there armed with a matte formula that won't let you down.

If your skin is prone to blemishes, you might also find yourself with oily skin due to excess sebum. If that's the case, it can seem even harder to find a foundation that'll add coverage without irritating skin any further. This gem tackles blemishes as a treatment while also giving an airbrushed finish.

If you find yourself daydreaming about your nightly reunion with your oil cleanser, as your foundation is getting uncomfortable, you won't have to worry about that with this one. It works wonders when it comes to getting a lit-from-within, soft look, but it'll also keep you covered all day.

Your skin is in good hands when your foundation is filled with the pro expertise of a photo studio and the creators of some of the best shine-reducing primers. Combine all of that, and you get this long-lasting treat that'll have you looking for the nearest ring light.

We all want that cool-girl no-makeup base that has just the right balance of glow and matte polish. Let's face it: We're not all blessed with being able to achieve that without the help of a little foundation. Enter Bobbi Brown's light-reflecting base with mineral powders that'll suck up oil better than a Dyson. ■

If you're ready to get back the lost time spent furiously blotting over a pocket mirror, try out one of these foundations for oily skin.